Shopping Idioms
Idiom / Saying Explanation
To put all your eggs in one basket

For example:

"You shouldn't invest all your money in Microsoft, it would be like putting all your eggs in one basket."
To risk everything on one person or thing.
To buy a lemon.

For example:

"That car he bought is a real lemon."
To buy something that proves to be worthless.
To buy a pig in a poke.

For example:

"That car he bought is a real pig in a poke."
To buy something that proves to be worthless.
"To buy the farm."

For example:

"He bought the farm last week."
To die.
"Own brand."

For example:

"Marks and Spencers only sell own brand goods."
When a company makes and sells its own products.
"The drinks are on me."

For example:

"He was celebrating his birthday, so the drinks were on him."
To offer to pay for something - usually food or drink.
To pay one's way.

For example:

"He's a good friend, he always pays his way."
To contribute one's share of the expenses.
To pay over the odds.

For example:

"She definitely paid over the odds for that dress."
To pay too much for something.
"To pay through the nose"

For example:

"He ended up paying through the nose for that car."
To pay too much for something.

Closed shop.

For example:

"The motor industry in the UK used to be a closed shop."

a place of work where you have to belong to a particular trade union.
To be all over the shop.

For example:

1) "His papers were all over the shop."
2) "I've looked for it all over the shop, but I still can't find it."
1) To be in complete disarray.


2) To look everywhere for something.
To shop around.

For example:

"I always shop around before I buy something."
To visit a number of shops to compare prices.
"To shop lift."

For example:

"He was caught shop lifting."
To steal goods from a shop.
"To shop someone."

For example:

"He shopped her to the police.
To tell someone in authority of someone elses wrong doings.
To shop till you drop.

For example:

"She shopped till she dropped yesterday."
To go on an extremely long shopping trip.
To shut up shop

For example:

"Winter is so quiet we just shut up shop and go on holiday.
To close somewhere (usually a business)
To talk shop.

For example:

"He is very boring, all he does all day is talk shop."
To discuss one's business or profession.
"Shopping therapy."

For example:

"She was very upset so I took her into town for some shopping therapy."
The idea that buying things can cheer you up - works for me :-)
To try it on.

For example:

"He never tells the truth about anything, he is always trying it on."
To attempt to decieve or fool someone.
More idioms and sayings